


It's Your Birthday, Haru Okumura!

by Alexilulu



Series: A Garden for Traitors [2]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canonical Character Death, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 19:17:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12918504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexilulu/pseuds/Alexilulu
Summary: A day out with your girlfriend sounds like a great birthday, doesn't it?





	It's Your Birthday, Haru Okumura!

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARU OKUMURA!!! DECEMBER 4TH BIRTHDAY GIRL! too bad that means her birthday is 2 months after her dad died. oops.

“Ann, really, you don’t need to—” Haru waves her hands in front of her when Ann holds an enormous crepe with all the fixings at her. It looks like a carbohydrate bomb, waiting to blow away all this week’s caloric deficit work.

“Too late, dork. I already paid for it, so if you won’t eat it, I will!” She takes a purposefully provocative lick of the cream of her own crepe, locking eyes with Haru the entire time until she takes the crepe and looks away, blushing.

“If I must…” A quick sideways glance reveals Ann’s beaming smile, which Haru has to look away from lest it blind her or embarrass her further. “So—What now?”

“It’s your birthday, what do you want to do?” Ann slips around her girlfriend, grabbing Haru’s free hand with hers. “Tokyo is your oyster today, We can do anything! And don’t even think about going for your wallet, or I’ll never forgive you.”

“But—”

“No buts! Just name a desire, and I’ll fulfill it.” Haru sighs, knowing from long experience that Ann will bulldoze any of her protests to the contrary. Instead, she hums to herself, taking dainty bites of her crepe and thinking as they walk through the backstreets of Shibuya.

Birthdays used to be sedate little things, barely acknowledged by her father until after dinner with a curt ‘happy birthday, dear’ and a pat on the head. An austere ceremony that came every year, and went without fanfare. She already had all the money she could ever need, and access to an account that could buy her heart’s desire for her, so why is the day of someone’s birth so special? The first time she received anything worth remembering was in her first year at Shujin, when Mako-chan had made it a point to memorize birthdates in their class and give anyone she knew well a small gift; They were all very practically minded gifts, for the most practically-minded class president. She gave Haru a dark mahogany pen with her first name engraved on it, which she still uses as much as she can. It can’t have cost much; the engraving is fading, more of something very lightly etched into the wood and then painted to stand out against the dark stain. Still, she treasures it deeply, using it every day.

“I haven’t a clue what I want, honestly. Birthdays weren’t very exciting, in my household. It wasn’t a celebration. Just…a day.”

“Wow. I guess Okumura-san really was a businessman, huh.” Haru can feel Ann flinch at her own words, and squeezes back when Ann holds her hand tighter. “Sorry.”

“It’s—it’s fine.”

“Well, have you ever been on the Daikanransha? You know, the big ferris wheel in Odaiba? It’s really fun, especially this late in the afternoon. The view is great.”

“Oh. No? I’ve never been on any ferris wheel, in fact.” Ann crumples up the wax paper of her crepe and drops it in a trash can while they walk, somehow already done with it—Haru isn’t even halfway finished with hers, and her stomach is already protesting the sugar rush entering it.

“Well there we go! To Odaiba!”

* * *

Getting to Odaiba wasn’t a problem, nor was getting a seat. What Haru hadn’t expected was that Ann would pay extra to have no-one else in their gondola. Or the bouquet of roses she came back with when they split up to use the bathroom before getting on.

“They’re not mine, still, but…Happy birthday.” Ann holds them out, her struggle to not be monumentally embarrassed by doing this in public obvious in her expression. Haru takes them, appreciating the fragrance with a smile.

“You didn’t have to, Ann…” A voice behind them both clears its throat, then announces Ann’s surname as the next to board. They pile into the gondola, blushing and apologizing and laughing the whole way. They look absolutely ridiculous to everyone who isn’t them, and they know it, but in the moment, it feels right and good to be doing this sort of mushy girlfriend thing. Like they’d earned it, after being alone for so long.

Haru really only learned about Ann’s predicament with Kamoshida once she joined the Thieves, of course; she had been far too caught up in her own problems with Sugimura and the way her father had began acting to worry about a gym teacher for a sport she didn’t play. Shiho’s suicide attempt was awful, of course, and Haru still feels disgusted about her apathetic response back then, but…There’s only so much you can ask of a girl facing the world and an arranged marriage she didn’t want on her own.

But Ann went through something so similar to her; she can’t help but grow sick over hearing Kamoshida’s treatment of her, the things she was forced to do. Alone, with no one there for her except Shiho. She knows it’s a bad thing to think—that even considering some of the punishments she would have given Kamoshida makes her a bad person—but she thinks Ann was too lenient with him. Ann must simply be more mature than her, Haru’s decided. That she can hold that much gentleness in her heart after what she’s been through is the mark of a good person. Maybe some of it will rub off on her, Haru thinks.

“Hey, Haru.” She snaps out of her reverie when Ann speaks up, leaning across the cramped gondola to hold her hand. “You’re crying.” Haru wipes her eyes with one hand, a feeble laugh bubbling up.

“I’m sorry, Ann. I don’t know what came over me.” Ann stands, squeezing herself in next to her and gently brushing hair out of Haru’s face.

“Haru, you can talk to me, but you don’t have to. I’m here, and I’m always gonna be here.” Ann wraps an arm around her shoulder, and Haru lets her head drop onto Ann’s chest, taking a shuddering breath to try (and fail) to calm herself down. Why did Kamoshida get to be saved, given a chance to repent for what he did? Why couldn’t Father get that chance? She knows, deep down, that her father had changed and become something worse than she could fathom. Seeing the reports of conditions in their restaurants, worker testimonials, everything, hurts her deeply. But he almost had his chance to repent. It’s not fair.

“It’s not fair.” Haru sobs, giving up controlling herself and letting tears flow freely. “Why didn’t he get a chance to make up for his mistakes? It’s not fair. He could have—” Ann places a hand on her head, slowly petting her head. “He could have been my Father again! He could have been here still…” She breaks up into incoherent cries while Ann holds her to her, whispering to her that it will be okay, let it all out, everything will be alright. The gondola comes to a halt at the top, giving them a beautiful view of Tokyo with the setting sun at their back. Finally, Haru gains some measure of control, breathing raggedly into Ann’s collarbone.

“It wasn’t fair. You’re right. I’m sorry that we couldn’t save him, Haru.” Ann swallows, measuring her words. “But you still have people here for you still. I’m not leaving you, Haru, not ever.” Haru sniffs, looking up at her girlfriend with fresh tears in her eyes.

“You can’t mean—” Ann’s hand leaves her head to cup her cheek, brushing a tear away with her thumb.

“I can. I do. I’ve still got to give you a rose I grew. So I’m never leaving you.” Haru blinks, then scoffs in disbelief, the noise turning into soft laughter.

“Right. You’ve got a long way to go, so I guess you’ll stay around awhile.”

“And after, too. You’re the kind of girl who deserves to get a bouquet of roses every day of your life, Haru. You brighten everyone else’s lives up so much, give so much for others, you deserve to have someone who brightens yours, gives just as much to yours.” Ann leans in for a kiss, lifting Haru’s chin gently. “Happy birthday.”

* * *

When they got off the gondola, Ann revealed that she still had plans for the day, and simply would never take no for an answer. She doesn’t want Haru sleeping alone tonight, so she’s already prepared everything Haru could need for a sleepover at her house.

Alone.

With no parents.

The train ride to Ann’s neighborhood consisted entirely of Haru hiding behind her roses to cover her ever-rising blush, while Ann texted furiously to someone. Haru didn’t ask who.

“I hope you’re okay with the state of the place, I haven’t cleaned in ages and Mom doesn’t pay the housekeeper if they’re not in the country, so…” She’s fiddling with her keys in the lock while Haru looks out at the street. It’s so…normal. Mundane. She likes it.

“It’s alright, I like the lived-in look. Our—My own home looks too clean.”

“Great.” The lock clicks, the door opens. “Come on in, I’ll get the lights. I think something tripped a breaker.” They step in, Haru stopping in the chilly entryway while Ann heads further inside in the dark. After a minute or so, Ann calls from further in. “Hey, Haru, can you bring me my bag? I left it there but I need my phone, I can’t see anything.”

“One moment!” Haru picks up the bag at her feet, walking down the hall, only for the room she enters first to erupt in light and sound. When her vision adjusts, she sees 7, no, 8 people and a cat are arrayed around a cake set on the living room coffee table.

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARU!” A cacophony of voices rises, all of them waving and shouting and wearing birthday hats. She clutches the roses to her chest, bursting into tears when the realization hits her. They’re here. They’re all here for her. She’s never gonna be alone like she was again. Everyone freezes when Haru starts sobbing and Ann rushes over, a birthday hat poised in her hands when she wraps her arms around Haru.

“Oh, baby, it’s okay, it’s okay! Ssh, ssh.” She turns back to everyone, fire in her eyes. “GET OVER HERE AND HUG HER, YOU MORONS! You scared her!” Before Haru knows it, she’s surrounded by a crush of bodies and voices, all of them telling her how sorry they are and how happy they are she’s here. Sojiro hovers somewhere in the background, scratching his head and grumbling before he wraps everyone else up in his arms. The tears give way to joy as she revels in everything, everyone being here for her and nothing else.


End file.
